Plenty of people (including myself) have been touting Tooting as South London’s next gem. What was once an unbroken chain of dodgy asian restaurants and betting shops is being revitalised as a foodie hotspot: Chicken Shop, Meza, Chez Vous, The Little Bar, Kennedy’s – there’s a lot to love. The latest (and very welcome) addition is Honest Burgers. I’ve visited their Brixton outfit before – how does Tooting compare?

The interior is what you’d expect from a upmarket fast food mecca – exposed brickwork, bare wood and vintage stools. It’s got cow horns on the wall and a hipster bike. There’s a definite buzz to the place, friendly servers whisking food around the packed tables and a string of bemused locals peering through the windows.

The menu is wonderfully simple, a handful of options with the right sides and an excellent craft beer selection. They win bonus points for serving the very local ‘Wolfie Smith’ from “By The Horns” – you can chuck a rock at the brewery.

With food this simple there’s no room to hide – and it is very good. The bun has the resilience and firm crust of a brioche roll without the overpowering richness. The patty itself is quite finely ground, but cooked to a nice medium. It’s not as juicy as the likes of Patty and Bun or MEATMarket, but considerably tastier than the likes of Byron or ShakeShack. It’s rich and meaty without being overpowering. In terms of extras – I opted for the Tour de France special (with aged comte, alsace bacon, red onion relish, sauce gribiche and a side of bearnaise). Each ingredient was well thought out, carefully cooked and the whole made a mighty impressive burger.

Almost as important as the burger are the chips – here they’re nicely rustic rosemary fries. Well salted and with a good hint of herb, they don’t really need condiments. Crisp without being unpleasantly crunchy – they’re a great chip. Scrabbling around the parchment paper for the scraps at the end is half the fun.

And that’s it! There’s no desserts menu – it’s as simple and honest an experience as the name suggests. It’s one of the best burgers in London, the staff are wonderful and the decor is lovely – this one’s a keeper. Now all Tooting needs is a quality pizza joint – can we tempt Pizza Pilgrims south!?